Journal lubricator pad



July 3, 1962 w. J. SocKELL, sR 3,042,465

JOURNAL LUBRICATOR PAD Filed June 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WJ. 50c r-5512 1 BYQ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (gli INVENTOR WJ. 50c/ra f5/7F. BY ,(1 M

ATTORNEY July 3, V1962 w. J. socKELl., sR

JOURNAL LUBRICATOR PAD Filed June 29, 1960 Unite States atent r 3,042,465 JOURNAL LUBRICATOR PAD William J. Sockell, Sr., 921 Willow Vista Road, Raleigh, N.C. Filed .lune 29, 1960, Ser. No. 39,645 1 Claim. (Cl. 308-243) This invention relates to a disposable pad adapted to be contained in the bottom of -a journal box and in contact with a journal disposed therein for positively supplying a lubricant from the reservoir, formed by the journal box bottom, to the journal.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a lubricator pad having resilient cores surrounded by coverings possessing good wicking characteristics and which are maintained saturated with the lubricant from the jornal box bottom for insuring a continuous supply of the lubricant to the journal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pad including an inner covering immediately surrounding the resilient cores of the pad and forming pockets or chambers in which said cores are contained and which are maintained filled with the lubricant from the journal box bottom so that compression and expansion of the cores .effectively transmits the lubricant from said pockets or chambers to a surface of the pad in contact with the journal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lubricator pad having an outer covering including a mass of wicking material effectively anchored to the pad in a manner whereby an inner portion of said mass is in direct Contact with the inner covering 'of the p-ad while an outer portion of the mass is in direct contact with the journal, whereby the lubricant is effectively transmitted from the interior of the pad to the exterior portion of the mass of wicking material which contacts the journal.

`Still another object of the invention is to provide a lubricator pad capable of being readily applied to or removed from any conventional journal box and which requires no means for securing the pad within the bottom, reservoir chamber of the journal box and in contact with the journal, and which pad can be readily removed and disposed of as a unit after it has become worn out and requires replacement.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view showing the lower portion of a journal box and journal contained therein and showing the improved lubricator pad, in longitudinal section, substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 1-1 of FIGURE 2, contained within said journal box;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the pad;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged end elevational View thereof looking toward a forward end of the pad;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the pad, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4 4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4, and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the inner side of a portion of the outer covering of the pad.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the journal lubricator pad in its entirety is designated generally 8 and includes two corresponding elongated core members 9 of rectangular cross section and of substantial width and thickness, as seen in FIGURE 4. The pad 8 includes an inner covering 10 formed by an elongated strip of a coarsely knitted fabric composed primarily of 3,042,465 Patented July 3, 1962 rice Wool and possessing a high degree of absorbency. The end portions of the fabric strip forming the covering 10 are Wound about the two core members 9 with each core member encased in at least two plies or convolutions of the strip 10 sothat the wound end portions of the strip provide compartments or chambers 11 in which the core members 9 are contained, Portions of the fabric strip 1t) extend between the core members 9 to provide a spacing portion 12 composed of approximately live plies of the fabric material and which separates the compartments 11 and the core members 9 contained therein. As seen in FIGURE l, the fabric strip forming the inner covering 10 is of a Width substantially corresponding to the length `of each of the core members 9 so that the compartments 11 thereof extend from end-'to-end of the core members.

The pad 8 additionally includes an outer covering, designated generally 13, which provides an envelope in which the inner covering 10 and core members 9 are completely enclosed. The outer covering 13 includes a casing or body portion 14, constituting the envelope thereof, and which is preferably formed of a strong cotton fabric. The exterior of covering 13 comprises a. mass of loop pile 15 composed of a mass or multiplicity of loops of cotton yarn, which mass extends completely around the envelope or ybody 14 and from end-to-end of the portion thereof surrounding the inner covering 10, as seen in FIGURE l. The loop pile yarn forming the mass 15 is secured to the envelope casing or body 14 by look stitching 16' on the inner side of the fabric 1'4, as seen in FIGURE 6, which lock stitching 16 covers the interior surface of the portion of the fabric 14 which surrounds the inner covering 10. The lock stitching of the cotton yarn provides an inner surface of the cotton yarn material which is substantially solid and unbroken and which is in direct contact with the complete exterior surface of the inner covering 10.

The fabric body 14 has side edge portions, disposed beyond the side edges of the loop pile mass 15, which edge portions are folded and secured together by stitching 17 to form end lwalls 18 anl 19 each having an outwardly projecting rib 20 extending from end-to-end thereof and formed by the Afolded and stitched edges of the fabric 14. The end wall 18 constitutes the rear Wall of the pad 8 and the end wall 19 is the front wall thereof.

A fabric tape 21 extends around the inner covering 10, above and beneath the intermediate part 12 thereof, and is located within the outer covering 13. Parts of the tape 21 are secured within the rib portions 20" by the stitching 17 thereof and another' part of the tape extends outwardly from the rib portion 20 of the front -wall 19 to form `a finger loop or handle 22. A plurality of tie `members of cord or the like are passed through the fabric body 14, tape 21 and the intermediate inner cover portion 12 to provide restraining loops 23 which draw the outer covering 13 together between the compartments 11.

A metal identification tag 24 may be secured to an inner part of the linger loop 22 and a reinforcing patch 25 of a heavy fabric material is preferably secured to the outer side of the front W-all 19, by stitching 26, and is located beneath the rib 20 thereof and below the handle 22, as lbest seen in FIGURE 3.

The pad 8 is shown in FIGURE l positioned within a conventional journal box 27 between the bottom 28 thereof and the journal 29. The bottom 28 of the journal box s of arcuate cross section so as to be disposed substantially concentric to the journal 29. The pad 8 is of thickness to fit snugly between the journal 29 Vand journal box bottom 28 and is suiciently flexible so that it will assume an arcuate form with the upper side thereof concave and in contact with the journal from end-to-end of the pad. The intermediate portion 12 of the inner aorta/.tee

covering permits the pad 8 to ex readily along its longitudinal centerline and the core members 9 are sufficiently flexible and resilient to allow ilexing of the side edge portions of the pad. As is conventional, the ybottom portion of the journal box 27 constitutes a reservoir for a lubricant in liquid form, not shown, with which the pad 8 is thoroughly saturated. The casing or body 14 is sufficiently porous so that the lubricant will com- =pletely lill the compartments 11 and completely saturate the core members 9 which are of a sponge-like construction. As previously stated, the inner covering 10 is capable of absorbing a large quantity of the lubricant and becoming completely saturated therewith. The mass of loop pile possesses excellent wicking or capillary characteristics and as the inner surface dened `by the lock stitching 16 thereof is in direct contact with a side of the inner covering 10, the lubricant will be supplied through the loops of the pile mass 15' to its outer surface which is in contact with the journal 29 to maintain the journal adequately lubricated at all times. The relative up and down movement of the journal 29 with respect to the journal box 27 will cause the pad cores 9 to be intermittently compressed and thereafter allowed to expand so that the lubricant from the chambers 11 will be forced through the covering 10` onto the inner surface defined by the lock stitching 16 and thence outwardly through the loops of the pile mass 15, which extend through the casing or body 14.

The core members 9 are preferably formed of acrylonitrile', -a sponge-like synthetic material possessing a high degree of resilience and a great resistance to permanent set and which is substantially unaffected by extreme temperature variations.

The pad 8 can be readily removed and disposed of `when it has become worn-out, and replaced by a new pad. This is easily accomplished by grasping and pulling outwardly on the finger loop 22 in a direction from right to left, as seen in FIGURE 1, the tape 'Z1 insuring that the pull will be exerted on both ends 18 and 19 of the pad to facilitate its removal.

' pad 8 will be retained intact.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A lubricator pad adapted to be interposed in a journal `box between the journal box bottom and a journal thereof, said pad including a pair of elongated flexible and resilient core members of a sponge-like material, an inner coving of an absorbent knitted fabric having wound end portions forming substantially parallel chambers, said core members being contained in and substantially filling said chambers, and an outer covering including a porous fabric envelope, of a thickness substantially less than the thickness of said inner covering, completely enclosing said inner covering and core members and a loop pile mass secured to said fabric envelope and constituting the exterior of said outer covering, said loop pile mass being formed of yarn having good wicking and capillary characteristics, said yarn being secured by lock stitching to the inner surface of the fabric envelope to provide a substantially solid inner yarn surface of the outer covering disposed in contact with said inner covering.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,480,984 Van lssum Sept. 6, 1949 2,762,667 Harkenrider Sept. 11, 1956 2,807,803 Rockwell Sept. 24, 1957 2,884,289 Sockell Apr. 28, 1959 2,936,202 Barber May 10, 1960 2,992,051 Murray Iuly l1, 1961 2,992,867 Hanson July 18, 1961 

